Leo Varadkar’s partner criticises photographing of Tánaiste at festival

The photographing of Tánaiste Leo Varadkar at a London festival shows that some people will "celebrate" the violation of another's privacy, his partner, Matt Barrett, has said.

In a letter published in The Irish Times on Saturday, Mr Barrett said: "The notion that the right to privacy is one which is conditional on the attitudes, sensibilities and prejudices of another" is "both ridiculous and dangerous".

Mr Varadkar was criticised for attending the Mighty Hoopla event in London last Saturday, especially by those in the Irish entertainment industry affected by Covid-19 restrictions over the last 18 months.

However, Mr Barrett wrote: “The individual who photographed the Tánaiste does not have a right to violate this [right to privacy] merely because she believed it was justified and consistent with her own beliefs about what constitutes appropriate behaviour.”